BY TERRI FLAGG, MOUNT AIRY NEWSPolice are seeking a former courtroom translator who is wanted for allegedly stealing from more than 130 non-English speaking defendants under the guise of helping them resolve their cases, said Dobson Chief of Police Shawn Myers.Warrants for 119 felonies have been issued for the arrest of Selenne Marisol Dania Licea, 37, of Dobson, for charges including obtaining property by false pretense and larceny by employee, Myers said.According to Myers the suspect is a Hispanic female who uses several aliases and has a driver’s license under the name “Marisol Del Leon” with a different birthday from the one listed on the warrants.Her former employer, Rosa Jimenez, said she is known in the Spanish community as “Marisol Licea.”Anyone who knows where Licea may be is urged to contact the Dobson Police Department immediately.“Any help we can get from anybody would be appreciated,” said Myers.Licea had worked in the court system for 11 years as a translator at Surry Language Links, a company owned by Jimenez that provides translation and interpretation services.According to Myers, clients would come to Surry Language Links looking for an interpreter to help them negotiate the judicial system.The clients would give money for fines or court and attorney fees to Licea, who allegedly would keep all or part of the payment instead of resolving her clients’ cases as they had believed, Myers said.The clients went on with their lives but unknowingly wound up not only with the original citation left open but their problems increased with additional fines, charges or an outstanding order for arrest, Myers said.“It’s just unfortunate for these people trying to take care of things,” Myers said. “One day they get a letter in the mail from the state saying they are losing their driver’s license, or an officer knocking on the door for something they thought they had already taken care of.”Myers said the Dobson Police Department began investigating Licea in June after an alleged victim reported her.The subsequent investigation included files obtained during the execution of a search warrant on Aug. 26 that revealed hundreds of alleged victims, Myers said.Jimenez said Licea was fired from Surry Language Links that day. She was questioned by Dobson investigators at the department on Aug. 31, and the first warrant for her arrest was issued on Sept. 27, Myers said.When officers went to Licea’s residence on Orchard Street to arrest her they found it vacated.The case, which spans several North Carolina counties as well as a handful from other states, has been entered into the National Crime Information Center with full extradition.“If she turns up anywhere in the United States they’ll bring her back to North Carolina,” Myers said, noting that the State Bureau of Investigation is also working on the investigation.Myers said victims have been pouring into the police department all week.“We’ve had more than 138 different victims report she had taken their money and failed to do as she said,” with at least ten per day coming forward in the past week, Myers said.“It’s just been non-stop,” he said, explaining that each case results in a separate false pretense charge.“There are several more that have outstanding orders for arrest and failure to pay fines that were supposed to have been taken care of,” Myers said. “We’re trying to find them to let them know what happened.”Myers said the county district attorney and judges offices have been collaborating to fairly resolve the victim’s cases either by giving them extra time to pay fines or removing orders for arrests.

Police are seeking a former courtroom translator who is wanted for allegedly stealing from more than 130 non-English speaking defendants under the guise of helping them resolve their cases, said Dobson Chief of Police Shawn Myers.

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Warrants for 119 felonies have been issued for the arrest of Selenne Marisol Dania Licea, 37, of Dobson, for charges including obtaining property by false pretense and larceny by employee, Myers said.

According to Myers the suspect is a Hispanic female who uses several aliases and has a driver’s license under the name “Marisol Del Leon” with a different birthday from the one listed on the warrants.

Her former employer, Rosa Jimenez, said she is known in the Spanish community as “Marisol Licea.”

Anyone who knows where Licea may be is urged to contact the Dobson Police Department immediately.

“Any help we can get from anybody would be appreciated,” said Myers.

Licea had worked in the court system for 11 years as a translator at Surry Language Links, a company owned by Jimenez that provides translation and interpretation services.

According to Myers, clients would come to Surry Language Links looking for an interpreter to help them negotiate the judicial system.

The clients would give money for fines or court and attorney fees to Licea, who allegedly would keep all or part of the payment instead of resolving her clients’ cases as they had believed, Myers said.

The clients went on with their lives but unknowingly wound up not only with the original citation left open but their problems increased with additional fines, charges or an outstanding order for arrest, Myers said.

“It’s just unfortunate for these people trying to take care of things,” Myers said. “One day they get a letter in the mail from the state saying they are losing their driver’s license, or an officer knocking on the door for something they thought they had already taken care of.”

Myers said the Dobson Police Department began investigating Licea in June after an alleged victim reported her.

The subsequent investigation included files obtained during the execution of a search warrant on Aug. 26 that revealed hundreds of alleged victims, Myers said.

Jimenez said Licea was fired from Surry Language Links that day. She was questioned by Dobson investigators at the department on Aug. 31, and the first warrant for her arrest was issued on Sept. 27, Myers said.

When officers went to Licea’s residence on Orchard Street to arrest her they found it vacated.

The case, which spans several North Carolina counties as well as a handful from other states, has been entered into the National Crime Information Center with full extradition.

“If she turns up anywhere in the United States they’ll bring her back to North Carolina,” Myers said, noting that the State Bureau of Investigation is also working on the investigation.

Myers said victims have been pouring into the police department all week.

“We’ve had more than 138 different victims report she had taken their money and failed to do as she said,” with at least ten per day coming forward in the past week, Myers said.

“It’s just been non-stop,” he said, explaining that each case results in a separate false pretense charge.

“There are several more that have outstanding orders for arrest and failure to pay fines that were supposed to have been taken care of,” Myers said. “We’re trying to find them to let them know what happened.”

Myers said the county district attorney and judges offices have been collaborating to fairly resolve the victim’s cases either by giving them extra time to pay fines or removing orders for arrests.